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? Donkey Conservation status: Domesticated
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Mammalia Order: Perissodactyla Family: Equidae Genus: Equus Species: asinus
Binomial name
Equus asinus Linnaeus, 1758

The donkey, a.k.a. Annes (Equus asinus, hence also ass), is a domesticated animal of the horse family, Equidae. The word also applies to a type of apparatus.

Contents 1 Etymology of the name 2 Relationship to horses 3 Economic use 4 Wild asses 5 Cultural aspects 5.1 abusive meaning 5.2 US Democratic Party symbol 6 Other uses 7 See also 8 External links

Etymology of the name

The word "donkey" is one of the most etymologically obscure in the English language. Until quite recent times, the standard word was "ass" also known as purvi, which has clear cognates in most other Indo-European languages; no credible cognate for "donkey" has yet been identified, though it is possible that it is a diminutive of "dun" (dull greyish-brown), a typical donkey colour; originally, "donkey" was pronounced to rhyme with "monkey". In the late 18th century, the word "donkey" started to replace "ass", almost certainly to avoid confusion with the word "arse", which, due to sound changes that had affected the language, had come to be pronounced the same way (/æs/ > /ɑ:s/ and /ɑ:rs/ > /ɑ:s/). The /ɑ:s/ pronunciation of "ass" was eventually restored to /æs/ in order to reserve the distinction, but not without the curious consequence of American English losing the word "arse" entirely and handing over its meaning to "ass".

Relationship to horses

A male donkey can be crossed with a female horse to produce a mule. A male horse can be crossed with a female donkey (jennet or jenny) to produce a hinny. These hybrids are almost always sterile because horses have 64 chromosomes whereas donkeys have 62, producing offspring with 63 chromosomes. Due to different mating behavior, jacks are often more willing to cover mares than stallions are to breed jennets. Mules are much more common than hinnies. This is believed to be caused by two factors, the first being proven in cat hybrids, that when the chromosome count of the male is the higher, fertility rates drop (as in the case of stallion x jennet). The lower progesterone production of the jennet may also lead to early embryonic loss. Although it is commonly believed that mules are more easily handled and also physically stronger than hinnies, making them more desirable for breeders to produce, it is simply that mule are more common in total number.

Economic use

Donkeys carrying loads in Tibet

Classic British seaside donkeys in Skegness

Domestication of the donkey circa 4000 BC is credited to predynastic Egypt (see Domestication). In particular, the donkey has been cited as the most probable beast of burden employed enroute between the First dynasty of Egypt (and perhaps earlier) and turquoise mining camps in the Sinai Peninsula (see Sinai Peninsula), as mention of the dromedary in Ancient Egypt does not appear until far later in the early 2nd millennium BC (see [1]).

Donkeys were also used in the prehistoric eras of Europe and western Asia, for pulling carts and carrying loads (including riders). Though not as fast as horses, donkeys are long-lived, cheaper to maintain, have great endurance, and are agile on poor tracks. They remain of crucial economic importance in many developing countries.

Donkeys have a reputation for stubbornness, but this is due to some handlers' misinterpretation of their highly-developed sense of self preservation. It is difficult to force or frighten a donkey into doing something it sees as contrary to its own best interest, as opposed to horses who are much more willing to, for example, go along a path with unsafe footing.

Although formal studies of their behaviour and cognition are rather limited, donkeys appear to be quite intelligent, cautious, friendly, playful, and eager to learn. They are many times fielded with horses due to a perceived calming effect on nervous horses. If a donkey is introduced to a mare and foal, the foal will often turn to the donkey for support after it has left its mother. [2]

Once a person has earned their confidence they can be willing and companionable partners in work and recreation. For this reason, they are now commonly kept as pets in countries where their use as beasts of burden has disappeared. They are also popular for giving rides to children in holiday resorts or other leisure contexts.

In prosperous countries, the welfare of donkeys both at home and abroad has recently become a concern, and a number of sanctuaries for retired donkeys have been set up.

Wild asses

With domestication of almost all donkeys, few species now exist in the wild. Some of them are the African Wild Ass (Equus africanus) and its subspecies Somalian Wild Ass (Equus africanus somaliensis). The Asiatic wild ass or Onager, Equus hemionus, and its relative the Kiang, Equus kiang, are closely related wild species.

There was another extinct subspecies called the Yukon Wild Ass (Equus asinus lambei). In the wild the asses can reach top speeds equalling zebras and even most horses.

The Wild Burro of the Southwestern United States is the descendent of the beasts of burden used and abandoned by the early prospectors. These animals, considered to be a living legacy, have lately been at risk due to drought. The Bureau of Land Management conducts round-ups of endangered herds, and holds public auctions. More information can be obtained from U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management.

Wild burros make good pets when treated well and cared for properly. They are clever and curious. When trust has been established, they appreciate, and even seek, attention and grooming.

Cultural aspects

The long history of human use of donkeys means that there is a rich store of cultural references to them, including:

• The ass was a symbol of the Egyptian god, Seth
• Several were buried in Hor-Aha's tomb [3]
• The ass was a symbol the Greek god Dionysus.
• Greek mythology includes the story of King Midas who judged against Apollo in favor of Pan during a musical contest, and had his ears changed to those of a donkey as punishment.
• There are numerous references to donkeys (chomor) in the Hebrew Bible
• The gospels have Jesus riding a donkey into Jerusalem; this has given rise to a legend that this is the origin of the cross on a donkey's shoulders.
• An Indian tale has an ass dressed in a panther skin give himself away by braying.
• One of Aesop's fables has an ass dressed in a lion skin who gives himself away by braying.
• A German proverb claims a donkey can wear a lion suit but its ear will still stick out and give it away.
• English proverbs include "better be the head of an ass than the tail of a horse", "if an ass goes a-traveling, he'll not come back a horse", and "better ride on an ass that carries me home than a horse that throws me" (though all these are now obsolete).

• Classical Greek expressions about donkeys included: onos pros eortēn = "a donkey at the festival" (gets all the work); onos hyetai = "a donkey is rained on" (i.e. he is unaffected or insensitive), onos pros phatnēn = "a donkey at a feed trough" (like the English expression "in clover").
• European folklore also claims that the tail of a donkey can be used to combat whooping cough or scorpion stings.

abusive meaning

• The donkey has long been a symbol of ignorance. Examples can be found in Aesop's Fables, Apuleius's The Golden Ass (The Metamorphoses of Lucius Apuleius) and Shakespeare's Midsummer Night's Dream
• Because of its connection with ignorance, in modern slang, referring to someone as a dumbass means that they are unintelligent. Many people would find this term vulgar and rude.
• The word ass has entered every day use in the English language as a term used to describe a person who resembles a donkey in some way, such as appearance, stubbornness, intelligence, etc.
• In soccer, especially in the United Kingdom, a player who is considered unskilful, and to rely overly on his physical attributes to cover up his technical shortcomings, is often dubbed a "donkey". A famous example is that of Tony Adams, in the aftermath of Euro 88.

US Democratic Party symbol

The donkey has also been a long-time unofficial symbol of the Democratic Party of the United States since Andrew Jackson's 1828 US presidential campaigns, defying the republican campaign calling him a "jackass"" - see [4] .

Other uses

• A donkey is also an apparatus, usually made from wood, that somewhat resembles the shape of a donkey, such as a Birching donkey.
  • Compare similar uses of the word horse (as in sawhorse) and the word easel, from another Germanic word for donkey (as ezel and Esel, the only words in Dutch and German, for animal and painter's stand).
• Donkey is also the name of a fictional donkey (voiced by Eddie Murphy) in the animated movies Shrek and Shrek 2, both from DreamWorks Pictures.

See also

• Buridan's ass
• Donkey Kong
• Nodding donkey
• Ponui donkey
• Donkey vote
• Donkey jacket
• Donkey punch
• Parading on donkey
• Exploding donkey
• The Donkey Party
• Donkey (Shrek)
• Fictional donkeys

External links

• Catalan donkey National emblem
• The Donkey Sanctuary, Sidmouth, UK
• National Association of Breeders of the Andaluz Donkey, Spain
• LongearsMall.com - Online Donkey & Mule Community and Resource Directory
• Seek My Bowl on donkey as symbol.
• References and symbols of chamor, donkey, ass inJudaism
• Everything Equus - Equestrian articles including buying, selling & riding horses in USA
• Bureau of Land Management National Wild Horse and Burro Program - Wild Horse and Burro Adoption

This article is based on the article "Donkeys" from Wikipedia - the free encyclopedia created and edited by online user community. This article is distributed under the terms of GNU Free Documentation License. Here you find the list of authors of this article. The article can only edited within Wikipedia. Edit this article in Wikipedia.

For other uses of the word mule, see mule (disambiguation).

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In its common modern meaning, a mule is the offspring of a male donkey and a female horse. Compare hinny — the offspring of a male horse and a female donkey. The term "mule" (Latin mulus) was formerly applied to the offspring of any two creatures of different species — in modern usage, a "hybrid".

The mule, easier to breed and usually larger in size than a hinny, has monopolised the attention of breeders. The chromosome match-up more often occurs when the jack (male donkey) is the sire and the mare (female horse) is the dam. It has been known for people to let a stallion (male horse) run with a jenny (female donkey) for as long as six years before getting her pregnant. Male mules and hinnies are both sterile, as are almost all female mules and hinnies (see External links). The sterility is attributed to the different number of chromosomes the two species have. Donkeys have 62 chromosomes, while horses have 64.

A female mule, called a "molly," has estrus cycles and can carry a fetus, as has occasionally happened naturally but also through embryo transfer. The difficulty is in getting the molly pregnant in the first place.

Characteristics

In its short thick head, long ears, thin limbs, small narrow hooves, short mane, absence of chestnuts (horny growths) inside the hocks, and tail hairless at the root, the mule appears asinine in form. In height and body, shape of neck and croup, uniformity of coat, and teeth, it appears equine. Also characteristic of the mule is its enormous phallus, hence the popular colloquial expression. It has the voice neither of the ass nor of the horse, but emits a feeble hoarse noise. Most mules have a brown or bay-brown coat — bay, or bright bay, or piebald occur rarely; a chestnut tint sometimes appears.

The mule possesses the sobriety, patience, endurance and sure-footedness of the ass, and the vigour, strength and courage of the horse. Operators of working animals generally find mules preferable to horses: mules show less impatience under the pressure of heavy weights, while their skin, harder and less sensitive than that of horses, renders them more capable of resisting sun and rain.

History

Humans have used mules from early times; the inhabitants of Mysia and Paphlagonia allegedly bred the first mules. The ancient Greeks and especially Romans valued mules for transport, employing them to draw carriages and carry loads. Mules hauled barges in the early days of the Erie Canal. In the early 20th century use of mules survived mainly in military transport, being used to haul caissons and artillery through nearly impassable terrain, the bravery and focused intelligence of the animal serving it well in the midst of the noise and confusion of warfare.

Mules have become far less common since the rise of the automobile, the motorized tractor, and other internal combustion-powered vehicles. They still find employment in less-developed countries, and in certain specialized roles for which they are still aptly suited. Mules can negotiate well on narrow, steep trails — such as the route from the South Rim down into the Grand Canyon. (The animal used for tourist transport on the Bright Angel Trail in the Grand Canyon is the burro, a variety of donkey.) Mules (and burros) can handle extremely rugged terrain and tracks that are too steep and twisted for either the less sure-footed horse or for a motor vehicle. Mules are also shown at equine shows.

External links

• British Mule Society
• A case of a mule giving birth
• LongearsMall.com - Online Donkey & Mule Community and Resource Directory
• John Henry, a great show mule
• Supply Mules in Kashmir

This article incorporates text from the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica, which is in the public domain.

This article is based on the article "Mules" from Wikipedia - the free encyclopedia created and edited by online user community. This article is distributed under the terms of GNU Free Documentation License. Here you find the list of authors of this article. The article can only edited within Wikipedia. Edit this article in Wikipedia.